Product Details

• Actors: Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Dan Natchsheim, Joy Carmichael, David Munson
• Directors: George Lucas
• Writers: George Lucas, Matthew Robbins, Walter Murch
• Producers: Edward Folger, Francis Ford Coppola, Larry Sturhahn
• Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, Director's Cut, Surround Sound, Collector's Edition, THX, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: September 14, 2004
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002CHIKG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,860 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "THX 1138 (Two-Disc Director's Cut Special Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

THX 1138:GEORGE LUCAS DIRECTOR'S CUT - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

147 of 168 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly one of a kind ... or, 1138 of a kind, or ... whatever., July 22, 2004

By 

Funky Kikuchiyo (Fairfax, VT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: THX 1138 (Two-Disc Director's Cut Special Edition) (DVD)

The world seems to be divided between two kinds of people. The people who think George Lucas is a talented legitimate artist, and those who think he's a business man unbothered by aethetics. For those who feel Lucas has (or had) talent, THX-1138 is a testament to it that. The use of color (or lack thereof), sound and editing in this film is truly unique. Lucas is often accused of lacking in writing skills, but THX-1138 doesn't rely on complex character backstories, or inspiring dialogue. In fact, THX, SEN, and LUH are rather one-dimensional characters. (Just to settle a common argument about the film, I do not believe SEN is intended to be homosexual, as beings in this world aside from THX and LUH are asexual because of their sedations) While images and sounds typically supplement dialogue as the force that progresses a story, it seems to be backwards at times in THX-1138. The title "visual storyteller" has been applied to every director at one point or another it seems, but for this work Lucas truly earns it. The sound effects of Star Wars have been copied so many times we all are numb to how good they really were, but watching this movie gives us a fresh idea of how incredible sound can be. These days most movies just use digital catalogs for all of their sound effects - Lucas had people go out with tape recorders and find things. While the sound is crude by today's standards, it is richer and warmer.

If I had any complaints about the film, it would be that there are moments where its quite obvious that its being made by an amateur director fresh out of film school who is used to making short features. Although these aspects also supplement the film as a whole, it does detract from the watchability (and rewatchability) of this film for some people.

This was one of the first art films I ever watched as a young man, and this had a huge impact on me. To know what was happening, I had to pay attention to everything - not just words.
Without having seen this movie, I wouldn't have learned to appreciate so many other films in the way I do. Every so often we viewers have to have our artistic perspectives broadened, and this film continues to do that. I would recommend this film to anyone - Star Wars fans (be warned... it is different), young film students, anyone.

Personally, I consider it a real shame that he burned out after directing the first Star Wars (those familiar with Lucasology know that he only directed the first feature and the newer prequels), since he obviously was capable of so much. I'm not dumping on Star Wars here, but the while the world doesn't end with the Star Wars movies, unfortunately Lucas's directing career did.

147 of 170 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Director's cut has major problems, September 11, 2004

By 

Geoffrey James (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: THX 1138 (Two-Disc Director's Cut Special Edition) (DVD)

THX 1138 has been one of my favorite movies for years. I have been awaiting a DVD copy anxiously, because the VCR version was poorly done. I just saw the Director's Cut in the theatre last night. What a disappointment. The added special effects and reedited scenes weakened the movie in every case. The computer graphics were fakey, making an obvious contrast to the gritty, ultra-realistic feel of the rest of the movie. The added distance shots destroyed the compressed, claustrophobic feel that gives the movie its character. The "edited" animals were straight out of Ewok-land. The ending scene where THX is attacked by the shell dwellers was turned from something really eerie into an outtake from Planet of the Apes. This created a major consistency problem because the shell dwellers in this scene were entirely different from the shell dweller in the prison scene. In short: Lucas has made a total mess of his best work. He took a seminal SciFi film that was way ahead of its time and stuck in a bunch of stupid, unrealistic, irrelevant special effects. What a shame.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What's up with the Director's Cut?, September 15, 2004

By 

Winston Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: THX 1138 (Two-Disc Director's Cut Special Edition) (DVD)

Most fans are wondering just what tinkering Lucas did with his first film. I know when I first heard he was giving it a "special edition" style makeover, two shots immediately came to mind: the ridiculous, ordinary modern doorknob with keyhole that the robots are trying to circumvent, and a shot where the futuristic race car THX has stolen clearly sports "Firestone" brand tires.

Well, much to my surprise, both of those shots survived into this new special edition! So what got changed? There's good news and bad.

The world itself is enlarged with new backgrounds and expanded vistas, not unlike some of the tinkering we saw with Cloud City in the Empire Strikes Back Special Edition. What were once dead ends or nondescript tunnels have morphed into busy elevator shafts and shuttle buses. Overall the effect is good, although sometimes the added effects seem too busy compared to the main action.

New creatures! A pack of bizarre monkeys now attacks our hero instead of the little-people shell dwellers. It actually comes off better than it might sound. Also added are a bizarre scorpion creature that frightens SEN, and a lizard stuck in the computer works seems to have sprouted antenna and wings(?)

The robot factory where THX works is much larger and busier. Now when THX is urged to "make the correction" we see exactly what that correction entails as a new radioactive rod melts everything in its path as it rolls around on the work table. Also the danger involved is more evident as we see people engulfed in explosions.

Most shocking addition? How about what I could only describe as a "mastrubation machine" pumping away as THX is watching his hologram television. Kind of creepy but definitely a ballsy move...no pun intended.

Finally the big car chase at the end has been enhanced with a few barricades here and there. But the main change is an additional passage which has him driving like a mad man through the rush hour traffic. The segment is exciting and looks good, but it doesn't really transition well with the original footage, and the frantic action and camera movement does not match the tone of the original footage. Also, in this new footage, THX seems to be driving the car like a professional racer, as opposed to the rest of the footage where he seems like he can barely keep the thing in a straight line.

It is a jarring addition, but not a disaster.

One major misstep with this DVD release is not a single mention is made of these digital enhancements in any of the supplementary material. Its as if Lucas wants to just rewrite history and pretend this is how the movie always looked. If he wants to bury the original version, fine, that's his decision, but at least let his fans in on his decision making process in making these changes and how they were technically achieved!